Ajay Jadeja

Jadeja in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Ajaysinhji Daulatsinhji Jadeja
Born	(1971-02-01)1 February 1971 (age 55) Jamnagar,Gujarat, India
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-armmedium
Role	All-rounder
Relations	Daulatsinhji Jadeja (father) Chatrapalsinhji (uncle)
International information
National side	India (1992–2000)
Test debut (cap 196)	13 November 1992 v South Africa
Last Test	26 February 2000 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 85)	28 February 1992 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	3 June 2000 v Pakistan
ODI shirt no.	3
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1988–1999	Haryana
2000	Jammu and Kashmir
2003–2004	Delhi
2005–2007	Rajasthan
2013	Haryana
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 15 196 111 291 Runs scored 576 5,359 8,100 8,304 Batting average 26.18 37.47 54.00 37.91 100s/50s 0/4 6/30 20/40 11/48 Top score 96 119 264 119 Balls bowled 0 1,248 4,703 2,681 Wickets – 20 54 49 Bowling average – 54.70 39.62 46.10 5 wickets in innings – 0 0 0 10 wickets in match – 0 0 0 Best bowling – 3/3 4/37 3/3 Catches/stumpings 5/– 59/– 73/– 93/1
Medal record Men'scricket Representing India ACC Asia Cup Winner 1995 UAE Runner-up 1997 Sri Lanka ACC U19 Asia Cup Winner 1989 Bangladesh
Source:ESPNcricinfo,9 January 2018

Ajaysinhji "Ajay" Jadeja^[1] (pronunciation^ⓘ; born 1 February 1971) is an Indian former professionalcricketer and crown prince of theJamnagar royal family. He was a regular member of theIndian cricket team in theOne Day International (ODI) format between 1992 and 2000. He played fifteenTest matches and 196 ODIs for India. He also occasionally captained the India national cricket team, and was popular for his flamboyant style of play and charisma. He was part of the Indian squad which won the1995 Asia Cup. In 2023, Jadeja worked with theAfghanistan cricket team as the team mentor in their World Cup campaign.^[2]

Due to his alleged involvement in match fixing, theBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) life banned him from cricket on 3 June 2000; later the BCCI reduced the ban to five years. On 27 January 2003, a Delhi court lifted the ban and acquitted him. However, Jadeja was not able to play again for Indian cricket team.^[3]

After he quit playing cricket, he found work as a coach and commentator. In the 2000s he acted in few Bollywood movies, appeared as contestant in dance reality showJhalak Dikhhla Jaa and worked as pundit forSET Max,AajTak,NDTV India etc. various times.^[4][5][6]

Ajay Jadeja was born into an erstwhileNawanagar royal family.^[7][8] which has a cricketing pedigree. His relatives includeK. S. Ranjitsinhji, after whom theRanji Trophy is named, andK. S. Duleepsinhji, for whom theDuleep Trophy is named. Jadeja's fatherDaulatsinhji Jadeja was a three-time parliamentarian, elected fromJamnagar to theLok Sabha, the lower house ofIndia's Parliament. His mother is a native ofAlappuzha inKerala.^[9] Jadeja married Aditi Jaitly, the daughter of politician and activistJaya Jaitly, in 2001.^[10] The couple have two children, Aiman and Ameera.

Jadeja began his schooling at theBharatiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi, He was subsequently sent to aRajkumar College inRajkot. He finally settled down at theSardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi, from where he completed his schooling. He met Aditi Jaitly here. He later went for higher studies toHindu College, Delhi.^[6]

In October 2024, Jadeja was declared the nextJam Saheb ofNawanagar, (also known as Jamnagar) by the current Jam Saheb of NawanagarShatrusalyasinhji Digvijaysinhji Jadeja, making him heir to the Jamnagar royal throne.^[11] His current title is Yuvraj Saheb.

Jadeja was a regular in theIndian cricket team between 1992 and 2000, playing 15Test matches and 196One Day Internationals. He had a long tenure as vice-captain for the national side and often led his domestic teams.^[12] A protege of the greatKapil Dev, Jadeja was known for his stylish batting style, intelligent bowling, and natural athleticism. He benefitted from a very analytical mind while reading pitches and stages of the game, compensating for faults with energetic running between the wickets and a flair that endeared him to fans. He shone in limited overs formats but struggled in Tests.^[13]

He was regarded as one of the best fielders in the Indian team in his time and one of the first standout Indian fielders at an international stage, making a memorable debut by diving forward for a catch that would getAllan Border out.^[14]

One of his most memorable innings was his cameo in the1996 Cricket World Cup quarter-final InBengaluru against arch rivalsPakistan when he scored 45 off 25 balls, including 40 from the final two overs byWaqar Younis. Jadeja, along withMohammed Azharuddin, holds therecord for the highest one-day partnership 4th and 5th wicket, set againstZimbabwe andSri Lanka respectively. Jadeja was renowned for his remarkable fielding and was considered one of the safest pair of hands in the Indian team during his tenure.

Another memorable occasion of his career was taking 3 wickets for 3 runs in 1 over against England inSharjah to win the match for India. Jadeja has captained India in 13 One-day matches. One of favourite hunting grounds was theChinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, the venue of the quarter-final against Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup. The last time Jadeja played in a One Day International was against Pakistan in the Pepsi Asia Cup on 3 June 2000. He scored 93 in a game that India eventually lost. Jadeja was the top scorer hitting 8 fours and 4 sixes.

Jadeja's cricketing achievements were later overshadowed by a 5-year ban for match-fixing. The ban was later removed by the Delhi High Court on 27 January 2003, who acquitted Jadeja, making him eligible to play domestic and international cricket.^[15] Jadeja had approached the Delhi High Court on 2 February 2001, challenging theBCCI order imposing the five-year ban on the basis of the K. Madhavan Committee recommendations. The Delhi High Court declared that the investigation had been one-sided, unfairly carried out, and used inadmissible evidence,^[16] and cleared Jadeja of any wrongdoing.^[17] He was back playing Ranji in 2003.

In 2015, Jadeja was appointed as the main coach forDelhi cricket team but he resigned from the post.^[5] He worked as a cricket commentator and pundit for SET Max during number ofIndian Premier League seasons in theExtra Innings show. He has also worked as cricket expert- analyst for news channels such asNDTV,Aajtak, Cricbuzz and more.

In September 2023,Afghanistan Cricket Board appointed Ajay Jadeja as Afghanistan's assistant coach/mentor for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. Afghanistan went on to win four matches in the tournament, including wins against giants like England and Pakistan as well as a shockingly narrow game against the year's winners, Australia, a stark difference from their winless campaign in 2019. Numerous ex-cricketers have suggested that their newfound victories were largely credited to Jadeja's influence^[18][19] and the Afghanistan team and head coach repeatedly expressed gratitude for the impact he had on them.^[20][21] Aided by an increase in funding from the ICC, the team sustained their form by making history at ensuing international tournaments. Months after, ACB CEO Naseeb Khan revealed to the public that Jadeja had refused to take any payment for his mentorship multiple times.^[22]

Jadeja also worked as a Batting Coach forMI Emirates inILT20 2024. He frequently appears on the live commentary in English, Hindi, and Gujarati for Jio Hotstar and Sony LIV. He also starred on the DP World Dressing Room Show for theChampions Trophy in 2025 alongsideWasim Akram andWaqar Younis, among others^[23] which was lauded for its quality and analysis, as well as the show of unity between Pakistani and Indian figures in the sporting world.^[24]

Jadeja acted in the 2003 movieKhel withSunny Deol andSunil Shetty. He also acted in the 2009 movie,Pal Pal Dil Ke Ssaat, directed by V.K.Kumar.^[4]

Jadeja was a contestant on the celebrity dance showJhalak Dikhhla Jaa in its first season. He has been appeared on the TV showComedy Circus,The Great Indian Laughter Challenge as a guest.^[25]

He did a cameo inAbhishek Kapoor's filmKai Po Che!^[26] acting as himself in a cricket commentator role and starred in many advertisements for multiple brands throughout the 90s and early 2000s.

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